Monday Memos // 108

Listening:

“Summer Girl” by HAIM

“Golden Babyland” by Lina Tullgren

“True Blue” by Mark Ronson ft. Angel Olsen

Reading:

There There by Tommy Orange. “Tommy Orange’s groundbreaking, extraordinaryThere There is the brilliant, propulsive story of twelve unforgettable characters, Urban Indians living in Oakland, California, who converge and collide on one fateful day.” I have about a third left and it’s blowing me away.

I haven’t sobbed from a Modern Love story in a long time and who knew a dog named Dusty would do me in. Must read: She Wanted a Man With a Good Job Who Is Nice to Animals

Craving:

Essentially my summer diet has been a whole lot of pizza. Specifically the best homemade rooftop pizza. I’ve also been on a kick of melon, plums, smoothies, seedy crackers, almond butter, spicy noodles, and Guittard’s Super Cookie chocolate chips .

That jor-dough!

Recent memorable dining out experiences include: Superiority Burger (a wrap that lasted two meals, realllly good sorbet/gelato, and good laughs), The Turk’s Inn (the decor alone is worth a visit, but the food is great too), General Deb’s (so spicy and so good), Best Pizza (sharing a bowl of garlic rolls with your brother and blabbing about all your anxieties is highly recommended).

The Turk’s Inn interior doesn’t even look real. (image via turksnyc.com)

Wearing:

Digging into my shirt collection, I’ve been wearing a lot of old Gainesville establishment tees, old graphic gems, and breezy button ups. Unearthed some overalls recently and wore them despite the weather being way too hot for so much denim. Also, I’ve been wearing the same billowy chambray dress on repeat—often two or three days in a row because it’s just all I want to wear.

Watching:

Recently watched: Four Weddings and a Funeral. I’m surprised I never saw this. I also never considered myself much of a Hugh Grant fan, but this movie made me realize the appeal—particularly when he’s learning about his great love’s sexual history and wearing a pretty great shirt-short-sock-shoe combo. Really enjoyed!

Scarlett, on the left, has the best outfits, too. On the right, this is the best I could find, so go watch the movie.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette. Not as good as the book, but the book was just so good. Still, a great cast, great soundtrack, and nice for a big cry at the end. Plus, the wild architectural moments are fabulous.

Girls. It took me two months to finish the series. I forgot how weird the ending is, but hey, still a solid show.

Want to watch: Joker. I think Joaquin Phoenix is going to win something for this. Looks brilliant and terrifying.

Treasuring:

Love and support: From the sweetest text messages to answering frantic phone calls to back rubs to big hugs to silly pictures to dinners with laughter to long drives with sick pets, I feel so much care and affection from so many different people. Summer can be sweaty, exhasting, and emotionally draining for me, so extra thankful for all these wonderful peeps.

Lounging in the nearby park is one of my new pastimes and I thoroughly enjoy.

Monday Memos // 83

Listening:

"Breathe In, Breathe Out" by Melody's Echo Chamber.

"SUMMER" by The Carters.

"123" by Girlpool. 

Reading:

MODERN LOVE: He’s Going Back to His Former Wife. Sort Of.

Good photos, interesting outfits: What 9 Instagram Employees Wore to Their New Offices

Read this for the sake of "Introduction to Poetry" by Billy Collins: Do You Have a Favorite Poem?

Great tips and excellent tricks, and the best piece of advice "build your trip around croissants."

I love the nanny story too. (photo by Aubrie Pick via bonappetit)

Craving:

Last weekend I was in Seattle and ate so many fabulous things. I even got to experience first class Alaska Air breakfast (scrambled eggs, french toast with rhubarb thyme compote, and ricotta with salty honey, berries, and slivered almonds). 

At The Whale Wins, a white and blue cottage-like space, I ate burrata with asparagus, pesto, wine-soaked cherries, and breadcrumbs, custardy French toast, carrot and beet hummus with braised collards and jammy eggs. At Manolin, probably my favorite spot, I had oysters, perfect plantain chips, rockfish ceviche, giant fresh mussels on toast, grilled beef with creamed yucca and chimichurri, and some refreshing scallops. I had the best sushi ever. I had three halves of the some outstanding doughnuts. There's more, but I'm jealous of my past self already. 

I want to own a home with Manolin-esque decor. I love the PNW. (image via manolin)

Wearing:

I've been wearing lots of patterns and/or dresses lately to deal with the summer and the heat. At the end of every day my clothes were sweat-soaked and I needed a cold shower. My favorite look of recent days: a big vintage silky blouse as a dress, over a slip. It was just the sort of comfort and fun to wear for a full Friday. Lots of Keds and structured sandals. 

Watching:

Saw: I finished Killing Eve — watch it. I've watched a few episodes of Nailed It for some comic, baking lightness. Saw some Godard at one of my favorite New York theaters, Metrograph. 

To Be Seen: Beautiful Boy, which I am sure will make me sob. Three Identical Strangers looks wild and wonderful.

Short Bits: The BA video team is making some highly entertaining stuff.

Treasuring:

The Pacific Northwest: Seattle was beautiful. Chilly and breezy. Mountains and ocean. Waterfalls and ferris wheels. Fresh fish and pastries. One of my best friends and one of my favorite felines. I laughed so much and wandered and lazed. I cannot wait to go back.

This app randomly inserting a rainbow filter and it perfectly coincided with pride weekend. 

Monday Memos // 50

This week is brought to you by the sentiments of packing up and moving from the place I have lived for roughly 25 years. It's beautiful and uncomfortable and so much more.

Listening:

"Drive" by R.E.M. The video makes me want to crowd surf. Best listened to cranked as loud as possible. Plus, the interlude in the middle—"Ollie, ollie / Ollie, ollie, ollie / Ollie, ollie, in come free, baby"—is really good for serenading my cat.

"Distance" by Emily King. "Even when I’m lonely / Happy knowing that your love is never far / When we are apart / Distance makes the heart"

"Blood On Me" by Sampha. I discovered this guy on Insecure and the album—Process—is great.

I also fell into an NPR Tiny Desk concert spiral (via looking up a Sampha video), and these were particularly entrancing: Angel Olsen, Dan Deacon, Big Thief, and Hozier.

Reading:

Confirm or Deny: Idris Elba. “The Wire” is the best TV show of all time. Confirm."

The Secret to Marriage Is Never Getting Married. "A year before I met Hans, a relative of his opened a credit card in his name and charged the better portion of another relative’s wedding. And then she forgot to pay the bill. For years. Forever, actually."

IT’S DECORATIVE GOURD SEASON, MOTHERFUCKERS. If you've never read this, it's a classic!

Always loving a love story. (image by Brian Rea via nytimes)

Craving:

I've eaten far too many cold, fudgy chocolate chip topped brownies in the last week or two. I call it stress/packing fuel/reward. I want another.

Also, I've had so many delightful breaded, crusted and carb-centric things lately: a Dutch baby with Florida oranges and thyme maple syrup (I've wanted to try a Dutch baby for ages—french toast meets pancake); pretzel-crusted tilapia (great in a taco); chicken tenders (sweet taste of childhood!); crusty, buttered, sourdough toast (they used to call me "Zoë Bread and Butter"); a warm cinnamony, flaxseed-topped muffin (because dessert, always). Hello, I am not afraid of gluten.

Proud of my friends for their new restaurant, Afternoon, which features these tasty things above.

Wearing:

Striped shirts. Black loafers. Purple vans. Unfortunately, still shorts (it's a hot October thus far).

Plus, for my aching knees and hip (always a sign that I'm due for new running shoes), I just got these Adidas—such a good color combo.

Flashy.

Watching:

As I move between excitement and terror, packing and crying, I am rewatching "Sex and the City." I can find something new to appreciate as I revisit the scenarios and characters. The cameos, too! Everyone was on that show. (Trivia: I once waited on "Stanford Blatch.")

I've been keeping up with season 2 of "Better Things." It's like "Louie" without Louis.

Carrie's Bowie shirt: yes!

Treasuring:

My emotions, as I pack up my life, are on a wild roller coaster ride. My eyes well up when I start to articulate certain things or hear certain songs or think of particular moments or drive down a country road. 

Adam JK is giving me life with these words from his new book, "Things Are What You Make of Them."

I'm soaking in the sun and sweat. I'm recognizing the trees and leaves. I'm savoring my best friends. As much as Florida can be a pile of trash, it can also be exquisite. My home.

More adamjk. He's brilliant.

Monday Memos // 43

Listening:

"This Strange Effect" by The Kinks

"Shark Smile" by Big Thief

"No Matter Where We Go" by Whitney

Reading:

Always Modern Love: How to Stop Breaking Up

Nayyirah Waheed's poems: "Perhaps the most famous poet on Instagram"

Craving:

I'll call it "food to fuel."

I've been so busy this last week. I'll be working, moving, grooving, sweating and suddenly I NEED TO EAT SOMETHING and it will be any number of things. Iced coffee, cold grapes, pizza, fresh fish, toast with jam, a Rice Krispies treat...

I wonder how many gallons of ice cream I've consumed in my life?

I'm not usually partial to pepperoni, but this is picturesque.

Wearing:

Jean shorts, gym shorts, short skirts, dresses that could be T-shirts. 

This. (image via pinterest)

Watching:

"The Incredible Jessica James." A most recent Netflix original movie starring one of the dope queens, Jessica Williams. It was one of the movies I needed in a trying moment and it made me feel significantly better. 

"The Incredible Jessica James is a little odd duck of a film, an old-fashioned romantic comedy that’s decidedly modern in its frame of reference, a character-driven piece that never lets us too deep into its protagonist, a movie as pleasant as it is fleeting."—Vulture

Wanting:

I want to be on my favorite island. The pang of nostalgia hits me hard in the height of the summer.

I want to smell the salt in the air and the slight stink of skunk. I want to taste my grandma's oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and a scoop of ice cream from Ben and Bill's. I want to feel the soft grass between my toes and the warm spot at the tip of the jetty. I want to hear the honk of the ferry and the old song lingering from the carousel. I want to see those greying shingles and the setting sun turn everything that spectacular shade of green.

This spot, this view is burned into my brain.

I could plop right down in it.

Nearly a decade ago—can you spot the ghost photographer?